Curtain for cars.



No. 774,949.` Y PATBNTED Novqw, '1904 y o. K..PIGKLES. f

CURTAIN POR GARS. APPLICATION 'PILED SEPT. 1, 1903.

1m nonni..

UNITED STATESY Patented November 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES K. PICKLES, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN A.BRILL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CURTAIN FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,949, dated November15, 1904. Application filed September 1, 1903. Serial No. 171,487. (Nomodel.)

To all 1071/0171, t m/a/y concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES K. PICKLES, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city and county of Philadelphia, State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCurtain Attachments for Railway-Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention resides in the novel construction of curtains for use incars, the curtainrod, and in the attachments for the curtain.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel and simple curtainattachment for use in holding the curtains commonly used instreet-railway cars in their vertical position against the stress of thecurtain-roller.

Further objects of my invention and details of construction will be morefully hereinafter explained and further pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a curtain embodying my invention in which a part of thecar-stanchion is cut a'Way to show the groove. Eig. 2 is a partialsectional view of the construction of the lower. curtain-rod in which aroller construction is used. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on theline 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is asection View on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of thearrows. Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a curtain for use in railway orother cars, and 2 the tapes which are secured to the upper end of thecurtain and are wound on sheaves 3 on the roller 4. The roller 4 may beplaced at any desired height on the side of the car or in theroof-pocket, so that the tape may be wound on the sheaves and thecurtain raised to its uppermost position without the curtain beingrolled upon the 1'oller`thatis, the curtain remaining unrolled at alltimes. The roller may be any kind of spring-roller in which the springis adapted to exert a continuous circular movement on the sheaves, sothat the tapes will be under a continuous spring tension from the'top,thus keeping the tapes and curtain under tension, the curtainbeing heldin the desired position by a rod at the lower end, which will behereinafter explained.

Stiffening-bars 5 of any well-known form may be attached to the curtainalong its length, the ends of which move in the post-grooves to keep thecurtain in its proper place between the posts.

In order to show the method of adapting my improved curtain to a car,reference is to be had to Fig. 1, in which 6 represents the stanchionsof a car, which may be of the closed semiconvertible or convertibletype. 7 is a longitudinal curtain groove. In this construction a tube 14incloses a part of the mechanism and is adapted to be placed in thelower hein of the curtain, as shown in Fig. 1. Attached to the ends ofthis casingY are a pair of feet 15, which are threaded at 16 and screwedon the casing. By this means the rod is retained in place in the h emwhen the foot is attached at either end ofthe casing after the latter isplaced in the hem. The foot may consist of the neck 17 and therectangular frame 18, adapted to retain the roller 19 by means of thepin 20, on which the roller turns and` which has its ends bearingV inthe frame 18. The foot 15 has vertical extensions 21, Which guide it inthe groove. IVithin the casing are two longitudinal rods 22, on one endof each of which is secured a brakeshoe 23 by means of a pin 24. Theframe, it will be seen, is provided with an elongated slot 25, so thatthe roller is free to have slight movement longitudinally of the rod.

AAt the opposed ends of the rods 22 are attached finger-pieces 26 bymeans of the pins 2 7, between which linger-pieces is provided acoil-spring 28, adapted to press the fingerpieces apart, the movement ofthe fingerpieces being permitted by the openings 29 in the casing. Theoperation of the rod is Very simple. Vhen in'its normal position, theroller 19 is in contact with the base of the groove. The brake-shoe 23is in contact with the roller, being forced against it by thecoilspring, thus causing the curtain to beheld by friction againstvertical movement. l hen it is desired to raise or lower the curtain,the linger-pieces are pressed together, which withdraws the brake-shoesfrom the rollers, and the rollers may move freely in the groove.

/Vhile I have been explicit in describing the specilic means forcarrying out my invention, .l do not limit myself to the specific meansherein described.

Having described my invention, what I claim is A curtain attachmentcomprising a casing, shoes on the ends of the casing, provided withupwardly and downwardly extending guidearms, a roller mounted in arecess in each of said shoes, the axles of said rollers having lateralplay in the direction of the axis of the casing, rods in said casingadapted to be forced against said rollers and act as a brake thereon, aspring between said rods and finger-pieces on said rods.

Signed in the city and county of Philadelphia,'State of Pennsylvania,this 29th day of August, 1903.

CHARLES K. PICKLES. Witnesses:

WM. J. FERDINAND, TERRENCE MoCUsKER.

